In a decisive ruling on Friday, November 17, 2023, Justice Arthur Engoron of the New York State Court dismissed a motion for a mistrial by former President Donald Trump in the high-stakes civil fraud lawsuit spearheaded by Attorney General Letitia James.
The suit accuses Trump and his co-defendants of inflating asset valuations and personal net worth in a scheme to deceive banks and insurance companies.
The case, which began in early October, seeks $250 million in penalties and aims to ban Trump from conducting real estate business in New York State.
Judge Engoron, presiding over the case in the New York state court in Manhattan, described Trump’s mistrial request as “utterly without merit,” asserting that he could not, in good conscience, allow such a pursuit.
Trump’s lawyers had alleged that Judge Engoron and his law clerk, Allison Greenfield, demonstrated political bias, but Engoron denied these claims. He emphasized that his rulings, which he has overseen for more than three years, are his alone and that there is “absolutely no ‘co-judging’ at play.” Judge Engoron also defended Greenfield, who is currently campaigning for a judgeship, stating that her political donations were legal under state law and ethics guidelines.
Judge Engoron’s decision came amid Trump’s status as the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination for next November’s election against Democratic President Joe Biden. Trump’s legal team had objected to various rulings by Judge Engoron and accused Greenfield of unethical political donations. However, the judge maintained that he had presided over the case “fairly, impartially, and professionally.”
The case has seen tension between Trump, and the court staff, leading Judge Engoron to issue gag orders to prevent Trump and his lawyers from commenting on his staff. Trump was fined $15,000 for twice violating this order. Despite the gag orders, Trump, and his attorneys continued to attack the judge and Greenfield, prompting the judge to extend the order to include Trump’s attorneys after allegations of bias were amplified in the courtroom.
However, the Court of Appeals judge, Justice David Friedman, temporarily paused the gag order.
Despite the denied request for a mistrial and ongoing tensions, Trump’s lawyer, Alina Habba, said,” We will continue to fight for our client’s right to a fair trial.”
